Sunrise, Sunset
by sketched out love
Summary: if a June night could talk, it would probably boast it invented romance.
1. Close Bonds & A Misunderstanding

SUNRISE, SUNSET  
by _sketched out love_

Hey, if you're reading this, thank you for deciding to read my new series. I'm pretty proud of this, even for just a first chapter. I tried to make the first chapter interesting and not a boring introduction. I plan to keep you guys on the edge of your seats in future chapters. There ARE pairings in this story, most definitely. I won't mention them for a while though, that's all part of the suspense I was talking about earlier You're free to guess and have your premonitions though :D

**Details:** Kairi POV, first person.  
Maybe some slight OOC.. sorry if you don't like that :X It's just how I write.

I can't summarize worth crap. I just hope you'll like this :

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Kingdom Hearts.. only in my mind.

* * *

It was a late afternoon in Twilight Town. The sky was a mix of orange, yellow, and pink, and the sun was resting behind the silver lined clouds. I rested my body against the fence on Sunset Hill and closed my eyes. There was still warmth in the air and that strong smell of the lilac bushes nearby. I played with a blade of grass that lined the edge of the cliff. An exhale of relaxation escaped my lips. Birds circled above my head, the sound of their flapping wings filling my ears.

Sunset Hill was where I'd go to think. I consumed most of my evenings sitting on the ground watching the trains go by on the tracks below, waiting for the sunset. Sunsets have intrigued me since I moved to Twilight Town. Never have I found a more perfect place to watch a sunset.

Faint sounds of a train on tracks became louder. I flicked the blade of grass from my hand and opened my eyes. The trains were my cues to head home. I grabbed the fence behind me and helped myself up off the ground and wiped off my skirt. A gentle breeze blew strands of my auburn hair into my face, but I didn't mind. I began walking down the hill, taking a glance back at the sunset before continuing onward.

**.xxx**

Roxas sat quietly upon a crate inside the usual spot. He should have started heading home ten minutes ago when the rest of the gang left, but something held him back. Roxas sighed inwardly. Darkness began swallowing the sky one minute at a time. The sound of a curtain sliding open caught Roxas's attention.

"I wouldn't have suspected you'd be staying here this late."

"I didn't either." Roxas put on a crooked smile. "I suppose I should leave then." He continued.

"Could I walk with you? It's getting dark." I asked as casually as I could manage.

Roxas slid off the crate and nodded slightly. He shoved his hands into his pockets and walked toward me. I held open the curtain and let him pass before me.

After stepping out into the moonlit alley, Roxas spoke.

"So, Kairi. How did you know I was here?" He turned his head in my direction, looking down a bit to meet my eyes.

"Just a hunch, I guess." I shrugged. Roxas let out a small 'oh'.

"Summer officially starts tomorrow." I said, trying to stir up a conversation.

"Yeah how about it. What are we going to do all summer?" Roxas asked. I felt my cheeks burn.

"T-the gang, I mean. What should we do all summer?" He corrected even though he couldn't have possibly seen me blush.

I wrinkled my nose slightly before I thought of a reply, "Maybe just hang out like old times." I hadn't considered the possibilities because our summers were always unplanned.

"But doesn't it get routine?" Roxas thumbed the inside of his jean pocket.

Before I had a chance to answer, I realized that I was nearing my home. A wave of relief washed over me I sighed. I gripped onto the door of the front gate and unlatched it. I gave one last glance over to Roxas. His lips curved into a small, friendly smile. He saluted me a goodbye until tomorrow, and I saluted back. We had been saluting ever since we were kids, it was always a way of remembering that we were best friends no matter what. Even if I knew that I would never need reminding.

Any possible sign that the sun had rested among the clouds ten minutes ago were as good as gone. The wind picked up a little and blew my hair around once again. On my front porch, I stuck my hand in my small pockets looking for my house key. Feeling the cold sting of copper on my fingers, I pulled out the key and stuck it into the lock. With a simple glide and click of the oak door, I was inside the comfort of my home.

I set my keys down on the stand next to me and slid out of my sneakers. I peeked my head around corners to see if there were signs of my mother near.

"Hello. I'm home." My voice echoed quietly through the downstairs. In the kitchen I heard the clock ticking ever so annoyingly. The clock read nine 'o clock.

I climbed the carpeted stairs up to my mother's bedroom. Gently, I pressed my ear against the shut door and listened. Her small inhales and exhales could be heard. I smiled in relief and walked further down the hall to my own bedroom.

I twisted the doorknob slowly and put a slight pressure on my door. I slipped into my room without another sound. In three seconds flat I was laying face up on my bed. On the charger, my cell phone blinked green. _Fully charged_. I stretched my arm onto the night stand and grabbed my cell phone. In one swift motion I had flipped open my phone and dialed Roxas's cell. Twirling a piece of my hair, I waited patiently for him to pick up.

"Hello?" He answered.

"Hey, just calling to see if you got home safely." My voice was small and modest.

"Yes, I'm at the door now." I heard the sound of him unlocking the door in the background.

"All right, I'll see you tomorrow then." I smiled to myself.

"Yes. Goodnight, Kairi." He whispered.

"Goodnight." I closed my phone and tossed it back on my night stand. I ruffled my hair a bit and exhaled. My eyes started to feel heavier, and my blinking was slower. The image of my perfect bedroom became distant, and soon my view was shrouded in black.

**.xxx**

My eyelids fluttered open and my eyes began to focus on my bedroom. I was still in the same position I had fallen asleep in the night before and my back was a little sore. I yawned and looked over to the clock. Any minute from now my mother would shout for breakfast. I could already whiff the scent of chocolate chip pancakes and sausage. My mouth was watering with the thought of food. I sat up slowly and rubbed my eyes.

"Kai, breakfast is on the table!" My mother called up the stairs.  
"All right, mom. I'll be down in a second." I stood up and walked out into the hallway, down the stairs where the smell of the food got stronger.

When I walked in the kitchen, my mood lifted slightly. My breakfast was sitting on the table in front of my usual sitting spot, and also my favorite spot. I pulled out my chair and placed myself down next to my mother. I picked up my fork and began eating breakfast. I never knew my mother's recipe for our family's famous pancakes or the secret sausage secret, and whenever I asked mother would smirk at me and say "Just eat your breakfast, dear."

"So, are you meeting up with Roxas today?" My mother asked while shoving another fork with pancakes into her mouth.

"Yup." I said merrily and poured more syrup on my plate. "He's going to teach me how to skateboard a little. Then later I think we're going to get some ice cream and sit on the tower."

"Hm. Sounds like fun, dear. How late will you be out? Last night I don't recall what time you came in." Mother eyed me suspiciously.

"Ten at the latest. Last night I was home at nine," I guzzled the last of my milk, "I figured you were sleeping so I came in quiet." My mother nodded, knowing that I was telling the truth. It's not like I've ever broken my curfew anyhow.

"What do you think about summer finally being here?" My mother was known for breakfast conversation. She just hated a meal with an awkward silence. It was one of her pet peeves that I didn't appreciate sometimes.

"Oh, you know. Same old. Roxas is tired of the routine, he said." I tried eating my breakfast faster. All this talking would make me late for my skateboarding lessons. I finished the last bite of my sausage and scooted my chair out. After rinsing off the excess food of my dishes, I loaded them in the dishwasher and wiped my hands off. "Okay, I'm going to get ready now." I ran upstairs before my mother could say anything else to me.

I skipped down the hallway and nudged my bedroom door that was ajar and jumped inside. Today was going to be a great first day of summer I could already tell. Opening up my dresser, I already knew what I would wear today. Nothing too fancy and nothing too casual. I picked out a pair of light-blue jean shorts, a yellow tank top, and my pink old navy sandals.

Once I was dressed, I approached my vanity. I gazed at the somewhat pretty girl staring back at me. There were times where I thought I looked really pretty; when I tried to be. I stroked my wavy auburn hair and decided that a ponytail would be best for now. I grabbed my brush and pulled it up into a neat ponytail. Making sure there were no bumps, I twisted and wrapped the hair tie around. I pulled down a few strands of my bangs and smiled satisfied at my reflection.

On my way out of my room I made sure I had my cell phone and a light jacket. I descended the stairs with light footsteps and headed gracefully out the front door. A guy passing me on the sidewalk blared "mestizo's love song" on his iPod. I quietly sang the lyrics that I knew.

"Remaining fairly happy and patiently waiting the moment that you realize. Call it superstition or call it intuition. I know where our future lies." I loved that song.

**.xxx**

"You're ten minutes late." Roxas laughed. I slapped him playfully on the back of the head when I walked by.

"Here, put these on." Roxas handed me some protective skating gear. I noticed that he didn't have any for himself.

"Where's your gear?" I raised my eyebrow while strapping the knee and elbow pads.

"Don't need it. I've been skating long enough to get used to scraping myself up. But you're a beginner, and what would your mom think if you came home with bruises and cuts? That wouldn't make a very good impression on me, now would it?" He smirked and handed me a black helmet.

"Well who says that I'll be bruised and cut up? I'm not _that_ ungraceful." I threw a random twig I found at his blonde head. Roxas let out a little chuckle and scratched the back of his head.

"Come on, we're going to practice out in front of the train station entrance. Not many people are there around this time." He motioned for me to follow him. I picked up the skateboard that I was using and began to follow him.

I underestimated Roxas. He was a very talented skater. I watched him do kick flips and other tricks I didn't know the names to. Roxas performed them with such ease and perfection and rarely ever fell. When it was my turn to start the basics, I claimed that watching him skate was more fun.

"You're not here for a show, Kai." Roxas reminded. He rolled over next to me and stepped off his skateboard, using his feet to flip it into his arms. "Besides, I don't like being the center of attention."

"Okay, okay. I want to learn that flippy thing you did. Where you flipped the skateboard close to the ground." I explained.  
"I don't know, Kai. That one's not for beginners." Roxas shook his head. "Do you even know how to ride a skateboard?"

"It couldn't be that hard." I said. My stomach churned a little. I barely ever touched a skateboard, let alone tried to ride one.

For the next half an hour Roxas taught me the foot positions and how to balance myself correctly. That part was understandably easy, it was just the skating part that would be hard. He did demonstration after demonstration, and held onto my arms when it was my turn to try. If he hadn't been holding on, I would have fell. Finally after I got the hang of it, I was going to try to do it without Roxas holding onto my arms for support. I positioned my feet the way I thought were most comfortable. I pushed off lightly at first, focusing on my balance. Pretty soon after that I was pushing off with more ease and picking up speed.

"Wow. I'm doing it! I'm really skateboarding!" My eyes were wide with surprise and my voice was ecstatic. I felt adrenaline pumping through my veins. It was comforting; the momentum. My ponytail flew around rapidly as I turned and pushed even faster.

"That's really good. You need to keep a steady pace though, or else you'll--"

Roxas was saying something to me, but he was barely audible. I looked back and his eyes were wide and he was running toward me. "What?" I asked. I looked forward again, but it was only for a split second. The next thing I knew a pain coursed through my body and I was looking at the sky. I tried sitting up but my back ached too much.

"Kairi, are you all right?" Roxas ran toward me. He grabbed my hands and helped me up off the ground. I could barely stand up by myself. Roxas lifted me up and slung me over his shoulder and began walking me somewhere. My eyes were too heavy and my head was too out of it to know where he was taking me. I relaxed my body and let my head hang freely and fell asleep to the rhythm of Roxas's steps.

**.xxx**

"Kairi, Kai!" A gentle hand shook my arm. I shifted around and made reluctant noises. I was enjoying my nap.

"Yeah, she's conscious. I recognize that movement." Someone chuckled, immediately I knew who it was. I opened my eyes and the first person I saw was Roxas. I smiled a little.

"I'll let you guys have some time." I heard my mother say and she politely got up. I realized that I was laying in my own bed; in my own room. Parts of my skateboarding experience were blurry. I scooted myself in an upright position and wrapped my arms around my knees.

"Sooo, that was some crash you had there." Roxas said. He walked over and sat next to me on my bed. A little laugh escaped his lips, "You crashed into a wall." I laughed along with him.

"Wow. And just when I thought I had the hang of it, BOOM! I run into a wall." I twirled my finger around my comforter. "So maybe I'm not a graceful person." I admitted sheepishly. I focused my gaze on Roxas with a look that told him not to comment about that.

"Well you can't say you had an interesting life unless you've run into things and been down." Roxas patted my knee.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." I looked up at my ceiling and back at Roxas.

"You still up for some sea salt ice cream?" Roxas asked. He put on his best pleading face, which turned into a cheesy grin when I nodded in agreement.

"Yippee!" Roxas shouted gleefully and grabbed my hand and dragged me out of my room. I was nearly falling down the stairs the speed Roxas was going. We ran past my mother in the hallway downstairs and as Roxas was opening the door I managed to say "We're going out for ice cream!" before I was outside. The rays of the sun beated down on me when Roxas pulled me off the porch. I planted my feet on the sidewalk and yanked my arm so he would stop. I pulled him closer to me by his hand and put my lips up to his ear.

"The ice cream isn't going anywhere." I whispered. Roxas's smile was almost unnoticeable. He did in fact slow down to a normal pace as he laced his fingers with mine. We swung our hands back and forth while we walked to replace talking with thinking. The people of Twilight Town often stared at us when Roxas and I held hands, but we didn't take notice. It was a sign of our close friendship, and I knew better than to think otherwise.

At Tram Common we were meeting with Hayner, Pence, and Olette. By the time they were within our eyesight I let go of Roxas's hand and he let it fall back to his side without a complaint. Olette's face gleamed as she ran toward me. She tackled me with a hug. "Kairi! It's good to see you." Hayner rolled his eyes. "You act like you haven't seen her in years." Hayner crossed his arms and focused his attention to Roxas.

"Me and Pence have an idea. Okay? And we need your help." His voice was hushed.

"What, why?" Roxas raised his eyebrow.

"You guuuys, can you stop stalling and lets get some ice cream." Olette said impatiently; rubbing her stomach in a circular motion to exaggerate her appetite.

"We'll meet up with you two a little later." Pence pulled out a pouch of munny and threw it to Olette. "You guys can catch up on your two days without talking." Pence laughed and he, Hayner, and Roxas walked toward the back alley to the Usual Spot.

"Hm, wonder what they're up to." I wrinkled my nose.

"I don't know.." Olette trailed off into thought.

Olette and I walked over to the ice cream shop. Olette handed me the pouch and I took out 20 munny. "Two sea salts, please." I smiled and handed the guy the munny. He nodded and opened up the freezer. I grabbed the two sea salts. "Thanks, uh," I read his name tag, "Brendan." Brendan smiled and mumbled something uncomprehendable.

I let my feet dangle off the clock tower aimlessly. It wouldn't matter if my sandals fell off my feet, it surely wouldn't have been the first time, or last. Olette and I quietly ate our sea salt ice cream. I looked at the sky. It was becoming evening already? My day hadn't been too eventful but it sure went by fast. Like they say, time flies when you're having fun. I tried to find shapes in the clouds that remained. In one of them I found a heart and the other looked like an ice cream. How ironic. I chuckled to myself. Olette didn't seem to notice.

"I saw you and Roxas today when you came into the Tram Common." Olette broke the silence. I ate my sea salt even more slowly than before. "Mmhm." Was all I could manage to say without sounding suspicious.

"Why were you guys holding hands?" She looked at me. My face was slightly awestruck. Olette just had to ask.

"It's nothing intimate. Just a friend thing..you know?" I tried to make her understand without jumping to conclusions that Roxas and I were dating or some other nonsense.

"Ahh." Olette nodded. "Do you guys do that type of thing a lot?"

"I suppose. What do you mean by 'that type of thing'?" I finished off my sea salt and licked the juice left over on the stick.

"Hold hands, hug, kiss, or whatever." She listed.

"Just hold hands." I replied honestly.

"That's weird. You don't hug him but you hold hands with him.." Olette set her stick down next to her. "Aren't you afraid of leading him on?" She asked kicking her feet.

"He knows it's not like that." I hung my head and let my hair fall on my face. I didn't want Olette to see that I was getting uncomfortable.

Three sets of noisy footsteps could be heard from behind me. Hayner, Pence, and Roxas were back with sea salt ice cream. Roxas plopped down next to me, then Hayner next to Roxas, and Pence in between Olette and Hayner.

"Are you going to lose your sandals today?" Hayner teased me. Everyone started to laugh, even I joined in.

For the next few minutes we all asked each other about our day and talked about what trips we should take this summer. Every summer we would talk about the same trips but we never could end up going. Our rule is if one of us doesn't go, then none of us doesn't go. It's the gang or no one. You could easily say we're the five musketeers, if there is such a thing.

I glanced over at Roxas who was staring out to the sky. His sea salt was melting and a big drip landed right on Roxas's pants. He felt the pat and looked down. "Aw jeez!" He moaned. Hayner looked over and saw that the drop was in that very place. "Roxas! Did you pee yourself again?" Pence and Olette burst out laughing and I stiffled a few of my own giggles. Eventually they broke out and I was laughing too. Roxas was obviously displeased with his ice cream.

"Here, I'll finish it." I held out my hand and he handed me the ice cream. I licked the edges that were about to drip.

"EEEWW, Roxas already licked that you know." Pence exclaimed jokingly grossed out.

"Well isn't that what you're supposed to do with ice cream?" Olette stated rhetorically.

"Yeah but she's licking his saliva.. which is really close to kissing, but indirectly." Pence explained. Hayner smiled, as this was another thing to tease us about.

"Grow up. All of us share food all the time. I don't see how this is any different." I rolled my eyes. "But I don't think I can finish this either. Does anyone want it?" I offered. No one wanted it because they were already full. I just decided to toss the half that was left off the tower.

No more than thirty seconds later did we hear a faint "What the-- ICE CREAM?!" from someone down below. Everyone cracked up again. Roxas's sea salt landed on someone's head.

* * *

**A/N:** How was that:D

Also, **please be aware** that my chapters could take months.. I've been busy lately and writer's block just loves my company. I won't abandon this story like I did with my last one.

The purpley button is beckoning to youuuuuu.. bwahahaha!


	2. Exhilaration, Temperamental, & Affection

**Author's Note:** Whew! This took a long time and I'm insanely proud of the outcome. I had to do a lot of changing around and deleting. I even got this out before my predicted release date, go me! Anyways, if you want to know why it took so long, you can check my user profile for the update at the very top. But for now, this is all I have to say and I don't want to keep you waiting any longer. READ ON, FREEFIGHTERS!

DISCLAIMER: Dude, I don't own KH or its characters. God damn, I wish I did though.

* * *

"What do you think about this outfit?" Olette held up a summer dress and quickly tossed it over her shoulders. "Oh! Or how about this one?" The ends of her lips were curled up. I peered around her bedroom that was now layered in Olette's summer apparel. On top of her clothes, she also had her fashion magazines, books, papers, and pens dumped carelessly on the floor near her computer desk. I rolled my eyes and picked up a magazine and flipped through the pages. While I scanned through the articles and gazed at the amazing outfits in the magazine, Olette was rambling on about how she lacked decent clothing. I droned her out however. There was a dress that caught my eye. It was a summer style; knee length, slim fitted, and pale yellow with small orange polka dots.

"Are you listening to me?" Olette wrinkled her eyebrow.  
"Hmm?" I closed the magazine and slid it over to the pile of others inconspicuously, but Olette wasn't convinced.

Olette sighed, "I _said_, are we going to meet Roxas at the usual spot today?" Olette pulled out a different summer dress from her wardrobe and walked into her personal bathroom.

"I dunno. We'll have to check." I raised my voice so it would seep through her oak door.

"Oh, okay -- oomph!" There was a small bang noise.

"Did you fall over your toilet again?" I laughed slightly. I remembered the time when she ran into the bathroom and tripped over the toilet and landed in the tub laughing hysterically. Falling over the toilet had turned into one of our inside jokes.

"I backed into it.." Olette opened the door, unruffling the dress she decided to wear.

"What time should we head over?" Olette asked, peering in her mirror to fix loose strands of her brunette hair. She fidgeted with her pink barette trying to make it straight. She threw an annoyed look at herself through the mirror.

"Probably soon, since Roxas is expecting us shortly." I walked over to the corner in Olette's room where I had placed my fleece and my phone. I bent down and grabbed my belongings and headed towards the door. Olette strided beside me and we walked out in unison.

On the way to the usual spot, Olette and I chattered about random subjects and why glue doesn't stick to the inside of the bottle. Olette mentioned how we hadn't had anything to eat today, so I told her we could stop and get a quick sea salt. I greeted Brendan, the usual worker, he smiled and Olette and I headed off. My sea salt started dripping onto my hands. There was a nearby waste basket. I disposed my sea salt and licked my hands free from the sticky substance. We headed around the corner and the familiar sight of the usual spot curtain came into our view. Olette slid it open and poked her head inside.

Empty.

"How odd." Olette scratched her head. Which was strange.

"Well, he's not here so let's just call him." I started to pull out my phone.

"Wait," Olette chimed. I slid my phone back into my pocket and looked to where Olette was pointing. "There's a note over here." I followed Olette into the spot, and there was in fact a piece of paper taped onto Roxas's usual sitting crate. I peeled the tape from the crate and picked up the slip of paper. In Roxas's messy script it read:

_Kairi and Olette, went to the Sandlot. Meet me there instead. -Roxas_

_PS. Sorry I didn't call, my phone is dead._

"Okay, so we're going to the Sandlot, I guess." I crumpled the piece of paper and shoved it into my pocket.

**.xxx**

The whole walk down to the Sandlot, Olette smiled nervously every few minutes and twiddled her thumbs. I shot glances out of the corner of my eye to her, her behavior didn't cease. Right around the corner from the Sandlot, I stopped in my place. Olette kept walking until she noticed I stopped. She pivoted and turned around and gave me a questioning look.

"What's up with you?" I asked.

"Nothing. What do you mean?" Olette said.

"You seem nervous or something." I replied cooly, then shrugged.

"Oh.. you.. I mean, what.. you noticed? Oh, I uh, have to go to the bathroom, yes. That's why. I HAVE TO GO TO THE BATHROOM!" She echoed through the alley.

"Why are you yelling?" I looked around with my eyes bulged out, looking to see if anyone was near.

"Just wait here!" She held up her index finger and darted around the corner towards the Sandlot.

"What? Olette!" I sighed and took off after her.

As soon as I ran foot into the Sandlot, the last thing I saw was Olette's head disappear into a bush before someone blindfolded me. I started to lose my balance, but someone grabbed my shoulders and was directing me somewhere. I started to struggle. Flailing my arms in an attempt to break free of the attacker's grasp. Too late. Another pair of hands grabbed my wrists tightly and kept them behind my back. I stamped my feet hard onto the ground and planted them there. My shoulders and arms were being tugged forward.

"Stop. Being. Difficult." An unfamiliar voice spoke, sounding like the words came through gritted teeth. My feet were now airborne and I shook my legs violently. I bobbed up and down to the steps of whoever was carrying me hostage.

"Let me, mmm, putmmmdown!" My words were muffled by a smooth hand covering my mouth.

I felt myself being put back down on the ground. The hands on my shoulders and ankles were released. My ankles throbbed, pumping the blood back into my circulation. My wrists were still being held captively. I could sense the presence of a hand coming towards my face. My breathing was getting heavier and my heart was racing. The blindfold fell to the ground mercilessly. It took me a few seconds before I realized that I was now entitled to open my eyes. I blinked a few times before the picture around me came into focus. I peered around. I was still in the Sandlot and I was standing in the very center. The banisters were wrapped in crepe paper, balloons were tied on the ends of everything, and confetti paper littered the floor.

And, I was standing face to face with Roxas.

My ears felt hot but before I could burst into a fit of terrified rage, I remembered what today was.

Townsfolk jumped out from behind trash cans, poked their heads out of bushes, and came running from behind the corners. There were over fourty faces, some recognizable and some not.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KAIRI!" Everyone screamed as loud as they could. I jumped a little. A smile started leaking onto my face, curling up to my ears, as I let out a laugh. Turning my head sideways, I saw Hayner and Pence staring at me with cheesy grins. Pence let go of my wrists and they fell back into place.

Olette started running towards me.

"So? What did you think?" She beamed.

"You have a twig in your hair." I said blandly.

"What? Oh," Olette pulled the twig out, "you're not mad then are you?"

"Nah. But I have to admit," I smiled wryly, "I started to believe I was being kidnapped."

Townsfolk were now filtering into the empty spaces and music started drifting into the atmosphere. Hayner sprinted over to the snack table on the right and grabbed some tortillia chips and dipped them violently in the cheese sauce. I flicked my eyes over to what was to be the gift table. Boxes ranging from big to small sat, the sun's rays creating gleams of shine on the metallic wrap and bows, cards of every color stacked neatly according to size, and gift bags sitting limply from lack of gift paper inside to support itself.

I had not expected such an elaborately thought out bash to be thrown. Like every year, Olette was to hold a traditional get-together movie night for me and invite Roxas, Hayner, and Pence. The prior week Roxas even gave me a list of DVDs to select for watching and Pence mentioned his favorite popcorn and had offered to bring it for celebration, while Hayner spat when he found out he had to sleep in the recliner for the night. Though turning sixteen had obviously given Olette an excuse to have an extravaganda to plan, as the guys weren't too useful when suggesting party plans and entertainment.

"Hey, Kai, preeeeesent tiiime!" Roxas held a large, crudely wrapped box, shaking it to emphasize his excitement.

People continued to mingle and talk amongst us. "I _said_ PRESENT TIME!" Roxas's voice escalated. I giggled slightly and sat down in a chair near the presents while everyone huddled and stood on their tip-toes to watch.

"Here," Pence came over and set down four presents on my lap, "You can start with ours." Pence gestured to Hayner, Olette, Roxas, and himself.

"Alright." I smiled, then nodded. Grabbing the paper, I ripped.

**.xxx**

"See you, Kairi."  
"Happy birthday! Bye!"

"Your party was fun, see you around sometime."

"Rockin'! Good job, Olette."

Olette and I waved everyone goodbye as people filed out and threw out some last birthday wishes before departing. A group of girls Olette met at school last year even hugged me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Roxas and Hayner imitating Pence when he was trying pin the tail on the donkey. Pence shot a playful glare at them and proceeded to pick up excess confetti and popped balloons off of the floor. Hayner picked his broom back up and began sweeping and Roxas loaded heaps of garbage bags into the community dumpster.

"Woo! We're done!" Pence strided up to Olette and I.

"It's about time, too." Hayner appeared and crossed his arms.

Roxas, still standing near the dumpster, stared near the other entrance.

"What's Roxas--?" I started, but Hayner interjected.

"What's _he_ doing here?" Hayner narrowed his eyes.

"Yeah!" Pence's smile vanished from his face, replaced with a look of disgust. Roxas's gaze was still fixed upon the intruder in the entry.

Olette cleared her throat, all of us snapped our heads in her direction. She looked at her shoe laces and said in a small voice, "I, er.. invited him." Olette's emerald eyes looked up at me, at Pence, and then at Hayner. She looked back down quickly, Hayner's expression undoubtedly had dubbed her remorseful.

Hayner made a displeasant noise with his throat. "A bit late isn't he?" He spat.

I looked up, Roxas was walking towards us, and the shadow of the teenager lingered. He set a box on the ground near the wall and backed off into the alley again.

Hayner grumbled once more and walked off, Pence and Roxas trailing him closely. Pence gave me a quick look and Roxas saluted. I returned the gesture and watched the two follow after Hayner.

**.xxx**

In the usual spot is where Olette and I sat. Assuming from the position of the sun, daylight would only last a little longer. My feet dangled from the crate I sat upon, my elbows on my knees and my chin resting on my hands. A stream of light beamed through the unpatched hole on the curtain of the room and reflected onto the cool ground. I watched dust particles float and fall. Olette sat on the beat up couch and hugged her knees comfortably, sighing slightly.

"Shouldn't have invited him." Olette mumbled.

"I'm not mad." I said, still staring at the dust visible from the single streak of light.

"I know you're not. It's Hayner." Olette buried her head into her arms distressed.

"You know how Hayner is. He's always been bitter with Seifer." I caught her glace and smiled a little. "Ever since Seifer glued feathers to him in pre-school, even though Hayner denies that's the reason." Olette let out a strangled laugh.

"I'm surprised he showed up, sort of. He seemed a little hesitant when I asked him." Olette wiped her cheeks dry.

"When did you invite him, anyway?" I inquired.

"Oh, well I was walking to Sunset Hill because I had accidentally left my jacket by the clock and..." Olette trailed off.

_Olette walked hurriedly through the crowds of people getting on the trolley. Her head down and a newspaper over her head as the drops of rain were being absorbed into the print. "Excuse me, sorry, pardon." Olette said incoherently as she bumped into a stranger, manuevered around a small child, and as an elderly citizen walked out in front of her._

_Her pace turning into a sprint, water whipping her face, she threw down the soaked newspaper and broke out in a run up the hill. Rain began pouring harder and picking up more momentum. Fuu and Rai were walking down Sunset Hill in a hurry as well, but what seemed more like a leisurely pace compared to Olette's, and didn't acknowledge that she had almost brushed shoulders with them. _

_Seifer ran straight smack into Olette as he was leaving and she was coming._

_"Hmph!" Olette grunted, annoyed. She stared into Seifer's blue eyes, looking for a lingering apology._

_"Sorry." He murmered. "Is this your jacket?" Seifer held up a yellow jacket with white stripes._

_"Yes, it is. Thank you. I guess it does no good for me anyway, it's soaked too." She peered down on herself attempting to ring out her drenched shirt. She shook her head a little and water splattered onto Seifer's face. He swiped his face, although not making a difference, as rain poured down harder. _

_"I wouldn't suppose you carry around an umbrella, would you?" Olette held out her arms and shrugged._

_"No, I don't. Looks like we're just going to have to walk in it." Seifer finally stepped out of Olette's way and began down the hill._

_Olette turned around and jogged to catch up._

_"I live right here." Seifer pointed to a house a few yards away, keeping his eyes locked onto his destination. He approached the gate to his house and swung it open._

_"Hey, wait!" Olette called out. Seifer stopped and looked at her, "Yeah?"  
"I'm throwing a birthday bash for Kairi this Friday, you're welcome to come." Olette offered. The look on Seifer's face made her feel dumb for asking. "Or not. Nevermind." Olette started to walk away when Seifer spoke up._

_"Me? You're inviting _me_?" He stared incredulously._

_"That's what I said, wasn't it?" Olette shrugged._

_"What about your friends?"_

_"Dont worry about them." She smiled._

_"Maybe..." Seifer looked a bit confused._

_"You don't have to buy a gift or anything, you can just come." Olette said._

_Seifer nodded and walked up to his porch. As he grabbed the front door handle, he heard Olette say faintly about it being a surprise party and not to mention it to anyone. He smiled at his door, knowing that Olette wouldn't see, and stepped inside._

"And yet, he still bought me a present." I chuckled. In the corner on my right sat the small box. It was wrapped with Christmas wrapping paper and there was a small bow on top and a card with 'Kairi' scrawled messily on the envelope.

"Will you open it?" Olette asked, and stared at the present as well.

"Are you sure it's not a bomb?" I joked.

"Kairi!" Olette exclaimed with a smile. "Just open it!"

"Okay, okay. But if this thing blows me to pieces..." I recieved a biff to my shoulder and I bent down and grabbed the present. Taking the card off, careful not to rip the paper, I slid my finger under the flap and pulled out the card. "It says... 'Kairi, happy birthday. Sorry about the Christmas wrap. Merry early Christmas. Seifer.' Hm." I set the card down next to me and grabbed an end of the box and tore off the paper. Opening the box, I threw aside the wrapping paper and plunged my hand inside. I pulled out an angelic figurine that was surrounded in bubble wrap. Olette gasped as I stared mesmerised.

"Wow." Was all I managed to say.

"That's really beautiful. This must have cost a fortune." Olette motioned for me to let her hold it, I handed it over, keeping the bubble wrap and snapping it while she examined my angel figurine from all angles. She picked up the box and took the bubble wrap from me and covered it like it had first been and placed it gently inside the box.

"It's almost time for the sunset. Sunset Hill?" Olette said aloud. I looked up at the sky and it was indeed almost time.

"You go on. I have to take home these presents and show my mother." I swung the sack of presents over my shoulder and held the gift from Seifer in my other arm. I slid the curtain sideways and heard it glide as I slid it back, leaving Olette in the usual spot alone.

Olette sighed dreamily as she was striding up the hill. Ever since Olette had befriended Kairi, she had discovered a fondness for the sunset as well. At the tip-top of the hill, Olette could hear feet scuffling in the dirt. Olette slowed her pace and took silent steps so she could listen.

"Arghhh!" Someone grunted. "Stupid, stupid, stupid, IDIOTIC--"  
"What's idiotic?" Olette tilted her head to the side and flashed an innocent smile. She caught a friend off guard.

"Er, hello there." Seifer scratched the back of his neck.

"Hello. So what was idiotic again?" She let out a small laugh.

"Damn, you're persistent." Seifer smirked. He leaned against the wooden fence and crossed his arms. Olette nodded and joined him.

Olette placed her hands on the oak fence and stared out into the sky. A train on the tracks below chugged on by and the smoke rose in small circles from the engine. The best part about the evening; a vermillion swirled sky with long puffy clouds resting high into the heavens, like a giant bowl of sherbet with whipped cream. The perfect scene was what captured Olette's attention and was another reason that contributed to her adoration for Sunset Hill.

Seifer exhaled noticeably from his nose and turned to face the tantalizing view as well. It was minutes later before he remembered Olette's question. It was almost as if the sunset erased the currents that were blocking the mind.

"I'm idiotic." Seifer stated, still looking beyond the sky.

"How so?" Olette inquired.

Seifer peered at Olette out of the corner of his eye and bit his lip. A sudden emotion came over him and he hugged Olette unexpectedly. Seifer wrapped his arms around her tiny figure and rested his chin lighting on her brunette head.

"Did Kairi like her gift?" He buried his nose in her shiny locks.

"Loved it." Olette stated simply. Her cheeks were slowly turning a bright shade of pink as she returned his embrace. Her stomach fluttered madly. Olette felt as if one thousand butterflies were attempting to break their way through her stomach, but realizing that it was not going to work, flew their way up her chest, around her lungs, up her asophagus..

Suddenly the back of her throat was flowing with nasty tasting liquid. Olette pushed Seifer away, and while his confused look went ignored, she slapped her hands over her mouth and ran over to the fence and threw up down below. Seifer bulged his eyes out and dashed over and held her hair back until she finished. Olette wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Ulgh." She panted.

"Are you okay now?" Seifer patted her back lightly.

"Still feeling a little sick, but I'll be fine." Olette balanced herself with one hand on the fence.

"Must have ate too much of Kairi's birthday cake then, huh?" Seifer chuckled a little.

"Yes." Olette answered. Though she hadn't any cake in the previous hours..

* * *

I hope that was worth the long wait. Reviews are not needed but deeply appreciated and motivate me further. I had ideas for the next chapter but nothing completely solid yet, but I'm crossing my fingers and going to work myself so chapter three can be out sooner! 


	3. Alleyway Row, BullsEye King, & Thanks

**A/N:** Yes, I realize that it has been over a year since I've update this story. I also realize that I said I would update with three chapters all at once, but then I thought that one chapter sooner was better than three chapters later. You pickin' up what I'm puttin' down? I don't want to bore you with the details and excuses of why I haven't been writing this, so here it is! It's a bit shorter than the other ones because I feel like this chapter ends nicely where it does. So I'll shut up now and you can read it, hows about that?  
**  
Dislclaimer:** I do not own Kingdom Hearts or its characters.

* * *

Hayner's worn out sneakers kept hitting the cement beneath him hastily. The click of his steps ricocheted off of every brick wall and garbage can in the alley. Tension swirled in the air majestically like the smoke off of the burning end of a cigarette. Jagged gasps for oxygen released from Roxas and Pence as they jogged to keep up with Hayner. The vermillion lit sky above that they knew all too well began dimming, slowly slipping into the eerie twilight that marked the difference between a dream and a nightmare.

"Hayner!" Pence breathed, stopping to rest for a second, only to start running again. "Wait up!" The beaten down brick walls raced past him and he felt dizziness creeping up on him.

"Pence, you wait here. I'll get him." Roxas said, noticing Pence's falter. His eyebrows furrowed in determination as he sucked in a deep breath and pushed his legs with all the force he could gather. The momentum was whipping at the spikes in Roxas's hair and his shoes pounded against the cobblestone madly, one second after the other. "Just...a few...more..steps!" Roxas grunted in between ragged gasps of air. Hayner stole a quick glance behind his shoulder to see Roxas tailing him, assuming Pence was somewhere in their dust. Within that second, Roxas bent his knees and lunged himself forward. Hayner stopped when he saw Roxas bend his knees and started to run when it was too late. Roxas threw himself at Hayner mid-run and knocked him harshly to the ground.

"What were you thinking back there?" Roxas let all of his weight fall on Hayner's back.

"Roxas, what the hell!" Hayner yelled, bringing his hand up to the liquid falling from his chin.

"You guys all right?" Pence suddenly came into view.

"Yeah." Roxas stood up, wiping the dirt off his jeans. Pence saw Hayner stand up out of the corner of his eye and noticed his chin dripping into already bloody hands.

"Your chin...I should-" began Pence.

"I'm fine." Hayner grunted. He turned towards Roxas. "Why the hell did you attack me?"

"So you'd quit running."

"Yeah, and your motivation?"

"Why did you have to act that way in front of Olette?" Roxas jumped straight into a rampage.

"I don't know what had her thinking it would be okay to invite Seifer to Kairi's birthday party!"

"Exactly, it was _Kairi's_ party. Not yours." Roxas emphasized.

"Why aren't you on Pence's case? He obviously disapproved." Hayner ushered his hands towards Pence.

"Yeah, less blatant than you did." Pence shot back.

"Now you're choosing sides? Whose blood did the peacemaker spill?" Hayner taunted, raising his right eyebrow.

Sensing the tension between the two, Roxas spoke before things could get out of hand. "Listen, the point is that Olette is our friend. We should hear her side of the story first before we make up our own conclusions."

"No, you listen." Hayner stepped closer and jammed his index finger into Roxas's chest. "The point is that Olette didn't even tell us she invited him. I'd be less pissed off if she had said something about it earlier!"

"I doubt that." Roxas and Hayner both looked at Pence.

"Whatever, I'm out of here." Hayner backed away from Roxas and stormed off in the direction he was going before the confrontation, leaving behind the feeling of chagrin.

**.xxx**

"Do you think we were too harsh?" Pence asked anxiously, feeling regret for the events that transpired a few minutes before.

"Pence, the day you say something 'too harsh,' I'll let you know." Roxas fell back onto the beaten, yet oddly comfortable, couch and bounced a little.

"He was right though, I almost never take sides." A dart flew onto the board and stuck as far from the center as the board would allow.

"Don't worry. Things will blow over and it'll be fine. I mean, come on, it's not like he was hurting anyone. He left a gift, didn't he?" Roxas asked rhetorically, scratching the back of his head and stretching out.

"Oh, right." Pence smiled slightly and threw another dart, this time with more accuracy.

Roxas drew in a long breath and watched Pence empty his handful of darts and tally the score. Roxas collected the darts from the board and scribbled his name and underlined it on the score sheet nearby. Squinting his left eye, he placed his right hand into the air where he believed his dart would hit the center. With a flick of his wrist and focused attention, Roxas hit dead center. "Bulls eye." He spoke quickly and tallied.

"_Man_." Pence said astonished. "You hit bulls eye on your first turn every time. I think you purposely challenge me to darts when I have things on my mind." They both shared a hearty laugh.

"It wouldn't matter either way. I've been playing around eight years." Roxas held a smug expression.

"No way, you'd have to have been playing since you were seven years old." Pence shook his head and wore wide eyes when Roxas hit another bulls eye.

"Yeah. When I was little I didn't know what was always hanging on the wall in the living room. One day my dad opened it up and began to play darts in front of me. I must have stared at him for a while or something because he asked me if I wanted to play. He pulled up a chair for me to stand on and on my first throw I missed the board completely. My dad told me I'd get the hang of it some day and that he would want to play me when I thought I could beat him. I practiced to prove myself to his words. He was hosting an office party one afternoon and that's when I decided to challenge him in front of his coworkers. My mom leaned down and whispered to me that my dad had been undefeated, but I wanted to play anyways. I got the first dart and hit bulls eye. A couple people clapped and my dad realized that he didn't want to throw the game so I could win. But in the end I beat him. He smiled and said he was proud that he lost to his only son. I've never missed bulls eye on my first throw since then." A swift whip-like sound brought Pence's attention back to the board as the dart clung to the center.

"I lost again." Pence rolled his eyes and smiled. "Are you sure you haven't missed a bulls eye _ever_ since then?"

Roxas chuckled. "I'm not _that_ good, but thanks." He pinned the score sheet up to the small cork bulletin board with the last dart he used to win with. Looking back at Pence, he realized what he had lately been forgetting to ask. "Did you want a rematch?"

"Nah, no thanks." Pence shook his head casually.

"You sure? I keep forgetting to ask you lately. It's not that I assume you don't want to play again or anything like that-"

"Really, it's okay." Pence reassured, but his face wasn't as convincing of the casual tone he was trying to pull off.

"You've still got that on your mind, huh?"

"I just wonder who he's venting to. Normally he goes to Olette because she's a good listener when it comes to Hayner and his irritations, but she's the whole reason he's mad. Let's hope he isn't mad enough to confront Olette herself. He might make her feel worse."

"At the very least, he should already know how that would make her feel." Roxas retraced the steps of their argument with Hayner. Picking up on a crucial detail he overlooked in the midst of his anger towards Hayner, he spoke abruptly. "I know where he is." Pence's face showed signs of concern. "Don't worry. He's doing the right thing."

**.xxx**

I rested comfortably chin in hand as I ran my cold, tactile members across the edges of the new Victorian desk that my mother bought me for my birthday. She mentioned to me that it wasn't easy to come by, and the fact that she had tried so hard to buy me one is remarkable. Minutes passed before I realized that my right foot had gone numb from sitting on it for that lengthy time that I had. Drowsiness invaded my body and told me that I ought to head to bed, so I decided that maybe Drowsiness was right. The legs of my chair scraped across my hardwood floor as I stood up, and I stretched my arms as if to grab something from above me. After yawning, I looked out my bedroom window and barely saw the silhouette of a male across the road near the street lamp that was notorious for blowing light bulbs in the worst times of the night. The figure turned their head both ways and continued across the road in haste. I had my suspicions as to who it may have been and the doorbell downstairs confirmed my thoughts.

My feet padded down the rickety stairs as the doorbell rung again. Not wanting to wake my mother from her early slumber, I increased my pace, skipped the last two steps, and landed in front of the door. I opened the front door before the doorbell went off again and exhaled loudly.

"Come in, Hayner." I opened the door wider and stepped aside, motioning for him to come inside.

"Thanks." Hayner slipped out of his sneakers as I shut the door softly. "Hope I'm not bothering you." He said quietly, examining the silent surrounding.

"No, of course not." I shook my head, leading him into the kitchen and flicking on a light. "I just need some coffee. Do you want anything?"

"I'll have a cup, too." Hayner nodded and pulled out a chair from beneath the kitchen table and sat down. Not too long afterward I joined him at the table and slid his mug over to him carefully.

"So," I took a large sip from my mug. "What's on your mind?" I held my mug to the alignment of my chin in preparation for the next sip I knew I would want to take. The steam rose into the air and danced in front of my nostrils. I inhaled the scent willingly and repeated the ritual for the next few minutes before Hayner spoke up.

"I hurt Olette today." Hayner stared into his coffee cup as he spoke.

"You did upset her." I confirmed as if he had asked rather than stated his thought.

"Agghhh!" Hayner growled in frustration. "Why does she put up with that?" He asked to nobody in particular.

"I think she knows that you only have the best intentions, but-" I paused as Hayner looked up to meet my eyes. "But I think you shouldn't have acted the way you did! Sometimes we all think we know what is best for us and find out that what we thought wasn't true, but before you patronize Olette for talking to Seifer, let her make her own decisions and if it isn't what is best for her, then let her find out on her own." Before I caught myself, my true feelings on the situation had been said and Hayner had already absorbed them.

"I'm sorry." Hayner stood up abruptly and almost knocked over the half-empty mug. He started towards the door, but I blocked his path and put my hands on his shoulders disregarding the few inches height difference.

"Why are you apologizing to me? Don't apologize to me."

"Tell Olette I'm sorry." Hayner mumbled angrily and grabbed me by the waist and lifted me out of his way, but I didn't release him.

"Tell her yourself!" My arms ached as I tightened my grip around his neck.

"I - can't." He grunted and unsuccessfully tried to unlatch me.

"Yes you can, and you will." Hayner attempted to maneuver any way that he could before I kneed him in the stomach. "Hayner!" I said fiercely through clenched teeth, sick of his cowardice and avoidance of what he had really came to talk to me about. "Sit down and hear me out, please!" Hayner fell backwards onto his rear without warning and I knocked even more of his breath out of him when I landed on top of him.

"Damn it, Kairi... you have to stop doing that!" Hayner threw me off his torso furiously and tried breathing. I waited impatiently for what seemed like an eternity, but was probably only twenty seconds, before Hayner's breathing was at a regular pace. I suspected that he had faked the last few seconds of rigid breathing to buy himself some more time before he had to face me.

"You're right, though," He finally said. "I just can't wrap my head around it!"

"It's okay if you don't understand; _I _don't understand. The best thing we can do is just support Olette." I lifted myself off the kitchen floor. "There would be nothing worse than for her to keep talking to Seifer knowing that we think he isn't a good person to be talking to."

Hayner stood up as well and made his way to the front door where he slipped back into his shoes. I trailed silently behind and waited to see him off into the night. He twisted the doorknob and slowly opened the door a crack before hesitating.

"Thanks, Kairi."

"You're welcome."

"No, really." Hayner closed the door and turned towards me. "Thank you."

"What are friends for, righ-" Before I could finish, Hayner cut me off with his lips. I didn't remember when it happened, but somehow one of his hands held my cheek while the other hand gripped my shoulder firmly. The warmth of his lips on mine appeased me, yet it provoked feelings of disconcertion. These feelings overwhelmed my mind and eventually became in step with my motor skills. I nudged his chest just enough so that we were not longer connected. When Hayner opened his eyes again, they were full of felicity that soon turned to affright.

"Sorry about that." Hayner returned his hands to himself and began to open the front door once again. "You just reminded me of someone," He said simply and backed out onto my porch into the darkness. I watched as he headed down my walkway, unlocked the white gate at the end, and turned right towards Olette's house. If nothing else was that simple for Hayner, why had this been?

* * *

**A/N:** This chapter, like many of the things I write, was not intended to go where it did. The idea kind of just came to me and I thought it was a good plot twister :]

I'm really crossing my fingers and toes that I can get faster updates, but no empty promises. At least my writers' block has let up a whole lot since last year, I can tell you that much has changed!


End file.
